Traditional batteries have characteristic discharge curves which exhibit an initial rapid voltage drop followed by a lengthy plateau. Many electronic devices exhibit a threshold operating voltage. When the battery potential falls below this threshold, the device simply stops operating rather than degrading in performance as the battery potential decreases. However, there is still a significant amount of sub-threshold energy stored in the plateau discharge state of such an “empty” battery.
It is possible to temporarily recover this sub-threshold energy by warming the battery to increase the potential above the threshold level of the device. This method works by increasing the rate of electrochemical reactions within the cell, but is unsuitable for use with modern lithium-ion batteries where the rate of battery degradation is strongly dependent on temperature.
The apparatus and methods disclosed herein may or may not address this issue.
The listing or discussion of a prior-published document or any background in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document or background is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge. One or more aspects/embodiments of the present disclosure may or may not address one or more of the background issues.